HIGH Playful environments and cute co-op puzzles.

LOW Clunky movement and not enough puzzle variation.

WTF How did two bricks make me tear up like this?

Hi everyone! Eugene Sax here with another review from GameCritics.com!

With so many games that focus on offering hardcore action and explosions, I find myself occasionally searching for something a little more laid back. LEGO Voyagers is absolutely in that camp, and my wife and I had a great time in its meticulously crafted world — this is a co-op–only experience that focuses more on exploration than adrenaline, and it’s great.

Two LEGO brick friends are on an island together, dreaming of space travel because they live so close to a rocket launch site. After watching a rocket crash-land near the island, players control this pair of single-bricks as they solve puzzles and salvage the abandoned spaceship parts. Platforming and puzzles combine together in completely LEGO-fied world that will lead players through canyons, factories, forests, and more. 

These little bricks will jump, roll, and attach to larger LEGO pieces while on the hunt for the crashed rocket parts. While most of the puzzles they’ll need to solve to earn these pieces are simple, they’re effective in how they integrate into each level, and how they utilize multiplayer functions into the challenges.

For example, one puzzle had me control some platforms, flipping them between horizontal and vertical, while my wife had to use another by leveraging momentum. In other parts of the adventure there are vehicles that transport LEGOs to complete a puzzle. Working together with a partner to drive a truck (one steering, the other controlling speed) made for an enjoyable comedy of errors, and was ultimately satisfying when we finally got the truck where it needed to go. 

While my wife and I absolutely had a good time with LEGO Voyagers, there’s no denying that it’s a bit on the shallow end since many of the puzzles amount to repeating the same challenges — finding blocks to make a bridge, to complete a road, and so on.

Some of the puzzles feel a little misjudged, as well. Some took too long, some were too awkward, and some were both. The vehicle puzzles I just mentioned, while amusing, ended up also being annoying due to how long some of the sequences went on.

There were also some puzzles that were difficult thanks to their execution. In the factory, for example, I controlled a crane magnet that could pick up specific LEGOs. My wife had to pick up the correct piece with her character, wait for the me to pick it up and put them on a different conveyor belt so she could grab more LEGOs, and then I had to pick them all up again to go to a third location. Controlling all of those pieces plus my wife felt awkward and took much longer than it should have.

Ultimately, Voyagers lands in a weird place for me as far as recommending it goes, and also with who I would recommend it for. The simplicity and repetition of the experience means it’s hard to recommend to older players who might be looking for a little more meat on the bone. On the other hand, it might not be right for a younger audience due to the execution issues with some of the puzzles. Despite landing in this mixed middle ground, I did have an enjoyable time with my wife, and we walked away with fond memories of it, so for me Lego Voyagers gets 6.5 stuck together bricks out of 10.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Light Brick Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. It is currently available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 3 hours of play were spent playing the game, and the game was completed. The game must be played completely in multiplayer.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E. No specific disclosures here, just a couple of people roaming around as Lego bricks in a Lego world. Good for all ages!

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There is no text in-game. Audio is not needed for gameplay. The game is fully accessible.

Controls: Controls are not remappable, and there is no control diagram. Players will move with the left stick, jump with A, attach and detach to blocks with X, and make noises with B (not required for gameplay completion).

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Designed by husband and wife studio Clever Plays, Operation: Tango seems to draw from their experience of playing together, developed from the ground up to be experienced exclusively via co-op.

Basically, each player takes the role of the hacker or the secret agent — one will coordinate the mission via computer and surveillance cameras while the other will infiltrate a location and complete the objectives required. The mission? Taking down a tyrannical mega-corporation.

Gameplay requires efficient and constant communication between the two players. The developers recommend using a microphone and it’s definitely good advice — I tried playing through instant messages but it wasn’t effective, especially because some of the puzzles actively require direct guidance and precise commands from the partner. While the developers actually advertise the “friendly banter” between the players as a feature of play, depending on the experience and temperament of the two people involved, well… it might not always be that friendly.

Graphically, Operation: Tango uses a first-person perspective and simple-but-pleasant 3D graphics which have a unique feel to them for the agent in the field. The ‘hacking’ half of the equation is slightly less memorable, with a design that seems to recall a ’90s style of accessing computers as seen in movies like The Lawnmower Man or Jurassic Park.

While I’m not a massive fan of asymmetric co-op gameplay which requires constant voice communication, Operation: Tango felt like a good time. Also, excellent idea on the part of the developers is to allow a “friend pass” — basically, only one copy of the title is required to play, as it is possible to invite a friend (who has not purchased the game) via a unique game ID.

After winning a GamesCom 2020 award for “Best Multiplayer Game”, Operation: Tango is shaping up to be a polished and entertaining experience sure to please anyone looking for a unique co-op title.

Operation: Tango is launching on PS5, PS4, Xbox X/S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store on June 1st for $19.99 USD

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HIGH Oh my god, I can keep gathering by holding down the button!

LOW I’ve made all of these weapons and armors multiple times before.

WTF Why are there so many awful collection quests?

I’m a guy who loves Monster Hunter.

I have a wall full of plastic figures, several t-shirts, a herd of stuffed animals, miniature taxidermy trophies, replica weapons, and a slew of other paraphernalia showcasing my devotion to the series. I’ve spent well over a thousand hours on the games released domestically (probably not far from two thousand, honestly) and I even bought a second WiiU so that I could do multiplayer with my wife.

I am in the Monster Hunter camp. I am a fan.

On the other hand, I am also a critic who loves games that push themselves forward. I like innovation and improvement. I like fresh ideas, creative spins on existing formulas and being set loose into a title to explore horizons I haven’t seen. I like new.

In light of these leanings, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed with Monster Hunter Generations. As an almost-everything-in-one mega-compilation of previous MH entries, there’s a lot of stuff in here that’s genuinely great. The problem? Not much of this is new to me. I’ve played the older games, I’ve made the armors, I’ve fought the monsters, and considering that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate came out just last year, it’s all so recent that I haven’t missed it. People who’ve spent less time with the series (or those who don’t mind jumping back in so soon) will likely have a different take, but I didn’t feel the call of the wild this time.

For those new to the franchise, Monster Hunter is a third-person, real-time action game where the player creates a custom character and then goes into a world populated by giant beasts. However, it’s not just swinging swords and firing bows. In addition to the incredibly deep, precise combat, there’s also heavy emphasis on resource collection. Plants, fish and minerals can be harvested from the environment, and players will use the skins, teeth and fur carved from felled monsters to create stronger weapons and better gear to defeat even tougher creatures. Generations offers a new singleplayer story mode, but the game is heavily slanted towards grouping up with a maximum of three others.

As I suggested earlier, most of the content here will be instantly familiar to people with hunting experience under their belts, but there have been some new things added to the mix. Some of the UI and menus are different, some of the systems have been tweaked or revamped in some way, values have been rebalanced, and so on… A million little things have been polished or revisited. On a larger scale, notable bullet points include new monsters, new combat styles, and the ability to be one of the cat sidekicks that have been a series staple for years.

So how are new monsters? No clue. I hate to say it, but in the 28 hours I spent in the campaign, I only saw one. The tail-bouncing Maccao makes an early appearance, but once past that, I only saw things I’d already killed before many, many times. I was dying to discover more fresh predators, but apparently they’re all much deeper in the game–a shame, since battling new foes might have kept me hooked longer.

The new styles of combat are nice additions. Two styles are more or less what players already know, one grants the ability to hop onto monster’s backs without needing a ledge, and the last enables a rushing counterattack if the player manages to dodge at just the right moment. The player can also equip new special moves that activate once a meter is charged–some special attacks, some escapes, some utility moves, and more. It’s neat to have, and a certain contingent will really dig into these.

Oh, and being a cat instead of a human hunter? They have several differences in structure (they don’t use items, they don’t have a stamina meter, and so on) and Generations offers missions that can only be completed by these ferocious felines. Testing this mode was a treat, and something fans have wanted for quite some time. However, once the novelty of being a cat wore off and I got back into the game proper, it just couldn’t hold me.

Beyond an intense feeling of been-there, done-that, there’s no denying that Monster Hunter Generations is pushing the 3DS to its limit. Camera issues are still present due to the 3DS’s design, it runs worse than 4 Ultimate did thanks to longer and more frequent loadtimes, and because it re-uses so many assets from its predecessor, it doesn’t look any better. This is a sprawling adventure with exotic weapons, colorfully detailed armor, and rampaging wildlife that should be stunning to behold, yet it’s squinty, muddy and rough. This content is screaming out for more robust hardware.

Ironically, despite being a bigger package with some improvements (endless thanks to whoever finally enabled continuous gathering by holding down a button) I’d say that Generations is less friendly and coherent to new players than 4 Ultimate. It would be easy to imagine someone getting absolutely lost in a wave of dull-as-dirt harvesting quests and being subdued by tedium before getting to the exciting parts, and it doesn’t help that most of the supporting systems like sending cats on expeditions (yes, really) or dealing with Scraps aren’t intuitive or clear. There’s almost too much content here, and it feels a bit haphazard and scattered.

Despite the fact that it wasn’t a good fit for me, Monster Hunter Generations is a great offering to the right sort of player and it offers an absurdly huge amount of quality content. From a pure value-for-money standpoint it’s unmatched, and players who want to go toe-to-toe with a menagerie of ferocious beasts would be well-served by grabbing a copy and finding a wiki to help with the obtuse parts. For me, personally, too much of Generations is repeat content and it breaks my heart to see another installment on hardware that doesn’t do it justice. I still love the series and I’m looking forward to an all-new Monster Hunter on a better system in the future. In the meantime? I’m cutting this hunt short. Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Capcom and published by Capcom. It is currently available on 3DS. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the standard, non-nub 3DS. Approximately 28 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. Four additional hours were spent in multiplayer mode.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains blood, crude humor, fantasy violence and mild suggestive themes. Despite all the warnings, this stuff is totally safe, in my view. The violence isn’t very graphic, consisting of weapons being swung and monsters or hunters getting knocked around, but no real blood or gore is ever shown. As for the humor or suggestive themes, it’s couched in dialogue with no graphic visual component. Super safe for kids old enough to manage the gameplay.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing: All dialogue is subtitled and there are no auditory cues needed for gameplay. I spent most of my time with the sound totally off and had no problems.

Remappable Controls: Certain functions can be altered between presets and axes can be flipped and so forth, but the controls can’t be freely remapped.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

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